GC 2008: Sony Press Conference Live Blog

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Obsessively delivering news to overly eager PlayStation fans.

By Ryan Clements, David Clayman

The time has come once again for videogame enthusiasts and their sweaty auras to overwhelm the otherwise charming streets of Leipzig, Germany. Here at German Games Convention 2008, another massive tradeshow is underway with the hope of tantalizing the press and public with a host of recently released and upcoming products.

Sony is one of the many companies hoping to show off its games this year and, from the looks of things, it already has a big presence on the floor. When we walked through the halls as they were still under construction yesterday, games like LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo were being shown off in a big way. But what gamers are looking forward to most is Sony's Press Conference, where a number of announcements will be made that could send waves of joy (or disappointment?) through show goers, depending on what news is dispersed.

IGN's Ryan Clements and David Clayman will be on the scene, ready to frantically record the events that transpire. If you want to know what goes down in PlayStation Land, make sure to check below to see their maddened, sleep-deprived ramblings live.

9:01 a.m. -- Well, thanks everybody for tuning in. Hope you enjoy the rest of the show coverage!

9:00 a.m. -- Ooops, and now we're back in German language mode again. Oh, and that's the end of the conference. Without any fanfare at all.

8:59 a.m. -- Over fifty levels in the game pre-made and ready to go and enjoy. This Indian-themed level is awesome, with some highly intricate art of various blue deities and what-not. Sack Boy represents globally, of course. The crowd applauds happily and hopefully the highly annoying TV crews get off the stage.

8:58 a.m. -- Apparently, they just unlocked like, fifty Trophies in a row. Whoops. Hopefully it won't be that easy. Anyway, the Sack Boy brigade is marching throw the twists and turns in the level. This looks like an Indian themed level, which I can definitely appreciate. I'd say on a scale from 1 to 10 on my enjoyment of the game, it's at an amazing 22.

8:57 a.m. -- The team is going through the level, regardless of the hecklers. They're starting a level with a nice grassy background and a cute little Elephant hut. W00t, a Trophy icon popped up. Trophies confirmed for LittleBigPlanet.

8:56 a.m. -- "I can't understand a word but you smell beautiful." This is what this random guy said to Uwe. They're staying on the stage. Kinda' annoying. Anyway.

8:55 a.m. -- Anyway, according to a friendly German-speaker fellow next to Clayman and I, these hecklers are actually famous personalities.

8:54 a.m. -- So, some random people have taken the stage, a cameraman and some other TV crews. Some sort of Heckler, perhaps?

8:53 a.m. -- They're booting up the game and Sack Boys dominate the screen. They're customizing their characters with a delightful variety of hats and such. This is all going down in the portal area of the game -- the cardboard spaceship which we've seen before.

8:52 a.m. -- Things are busy for them, but things are going fantastically and people are creating some awesome things. The producer and Uwe chat a moment before bringing Danny, a designer from Media Molecule, onto the stage.

8:51 a.m. -- Producer of LittleBig Planet takes the stage.

8:49 a.m. -- But honestly, I think everyone can get behind Turkish party. LittleBigPlanet trailer. SackBoy is dreaming and dancing on a big felt heart. And a princess waves from a castle. A really awesome tune once again blares over the speakers. Usual awesome LittleBigPlanet gameplay is displayed with all the charming emotes you'd expect. Clayman begins to dance but still can't get over Turkish Party. Back to the trailer. Sack Boy recused the princess at the end of the trailer and they lived happily ever after.

8:47 a.m. -- It is now that I noticed that there are subtitles for the TV personalities. So I can understand them after all.

8:46 a.m. -- Oh, a SingStar trailer! SingStar is universal and transcends all language barriers. No, wait. They're speaking in German. No transcendence has occurred. I've failed in reaching a higher plane. But there's a charming young woman talking on the screen. A German TV personalities.

8:45 a.m. -- Still going on in German. The big screen is showing some delightful graphics which I believe are showing some sort of... statistic. Again, I'm just shooting in the dark here. It's all, as I've stated above numerous times, in German. It's okay though... it's a European show, so I can't really be upset.

8:43 a.m. -- In the meantime, David Clayman, looked over at me and went "Um" because, as you might imagine, he cannot speak in German either. But that's okay, because we're both happy to be sitting down and watching Ty eye us lovingly. Ty is one of our video producers, by the way. For all you new readers.

8:42 a.m. -- Uwe BassenDowski takes the stage, he's the Managing Director for Sony Computer Entertainment here in Germany. He's giving his presentation in German, so, I'm going to sit here and nod politely. And then he's going to go over this in English, and at that point I'll udnerstand.

8:41 a.m. -- Speaker says that the difficulties with the PS3 in its early stages are completely past and that 2008 has been a great year for the system.

8:40 a.m. -- Everything is real-time 3D, and it's exclusive on the PS3. I'm extremely excited about this one. The audience applauds happily -- seems like we're all pleased. Host thanks Cage for the demonstration and comes back on the stage. Ah, looks like the conference is wrapping up. "We hope you enjoyed it." But a few more updates, don't go away yet!

8:39 a.m. -- These are scenes from the Origami Killer demonstration we received previously. Very intense contextual gameplay with an extremely vivid emotional touch. Heavy Rain 2009 ends the trailer.

8:39 a.m. -- Cage mentions that Sony has been very supportive of their efforts. Actual gameplay footage is being shown, a rainy neighborhood is tainted by the presence of something evil. Sinister.

8:38 a.m. -- It will be story driven and your decisions have consequences. These are some of the same themes that Cage went over during my meeting with him prior to the press conference. Make sure to check out my Eyes-on, readers! It's good stuff.

8:37 a.m. -- He's here to talk about Heavy Rain today. Key points: This will be mature/serious content. It's going to be accessible. It's going to be an emotional experience (moral choices and the like, the player will be playing the story).

8:36 a.m. -- David Cage, with Quantic Dream takes the stage. This is the big one. People applaud happily. "After being silent for a while, we're proud to be in Leipzig." He references Nomad Soul, Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) and then The Casting, that sweet technical demo that we all saw a while ago.

8:34 a.m. -- Heavy Rain time!

8:34 a.m. -- Your Virtual Pet. I thought it was something else, but I guess we're going to be raising 3D virtual pets with the power of the PS3. Trailer time. Using EyeToy, you can interact through the video and the little creature reacts to your gestures in real time. It shows it finishing in your drawings for you, after you've scanned it in, including making a fully functional little car. Now it's playing dress up. Crazy. Actual looks pretty cute, but let's see if the game is actually as awesome as the guitar-filled trailer.

8:33 a.m. -- Let's move on to something created out of Sony's London studio. The speaker is building this up, it better be good.... I have a feeling it's -- wait -- EyePet!

8:31 a.m. -- Dear God, yes, it's the classic Disney sing-alongs with actual Disney videos in the background. It looks like a lot of fun for kids and also Disney fans that want a trip down memory lane. SingStar Queen! 5 songs for 6.99 Euros.

8:30 a.m. -- The trailer shows a bunch of people singing along to some stuff, some are talented and others are... not so skilled. Funny stuff. SingStar Disney!!!!!! Megaton! Singalong with Disney is the official subtitle, it seems. I can't wait to sing Lion King with Greg.

8:29 a.m. -- SingStar is all about the tracks. Host names some "new" tracks, including Michael Jackson and Barry Manilow. Sweet. The Ting Tings. Another trailer to show off some of the hot SingStar-ness. Another pumpin' beat. Hell yeah, Michael.

8:28 a.m. -- Oh, new service to play the tracks from our PS2 versions of the SingStar games onto your PS3! Just throw in the PS2 disc and you can grab the tracks! This will be available through a firmware update.

8:27 a.m. -- SingStar and the SingStore have proven to be incredibly popular. 2.2 million track downloads to date. SingStar for the win!

8:27 a.m. -- SingStar trailer, the beat is infectious. If I were Greg Miller, I would be dancing right now. But I'm not, so I'll contain myself. SingStar logo sweeps over screen as people dance to the beat. They look super pumped to be... alive, I guess.

8:26 a.m. -- Unfortunately, that's not confirmed for US launch, but hopefully that will make its way over here because it looks pretty sweet. Now on to the games.

8:25 a.m. -- Music and video are focal points for the PAL territories. Streaming service will be launched Q1 of next year. Music download service will be Q3 of next year. Ah, to clarify then, there will be two services for boths streaming and downloading. Groovy.

8:24 a.m. -- Trailer time. Wow, that's loud freaking music. Tons of music videos available, rocking music blares through the speakers. Well, now it's just looping the same video over and over again. Trailer complete. Whew. So where does this fit in to the PS Network strategies?

8:23 a.m. -- You can use this streaming content to create custom playlists and it can be accessed via Remote Play on your PSP, and also including phone support. Wow, I'm actually pretty impressed by that

8:22 a.m. -- Speaker is -- again -- pleased to announce a new music service for 23 PAL territories. VidZones. It's going to be seperate from the already established video service. Intriguing. Unlimited streaming of music on demand, totally FREE of charge. Um, all kinds of awesome? Yes, yes it is.

8:20 a.m. -- LittleBigPlanet to be released on the 29th of October in the PAL territories. Host has high hopes for this game, as do I. Speaker is also pleased to announced a wireless keypad for PS3. It latches on to the top of the controller, kinda' like the 360 keypad, except for the top instead of the bottom. In my opinion, it looks a little bit... gigantic. It will be released in 8 different langauges. The keypad will also have mouse input as well, which could be quite handy.

8:19 a.m. -- Play TV launched on the 19th of September. I believe that's just for European territories though, no word on the US for Play TV, a video playback program.

8:16 a.m. -- The host talks shortly about Kaz Hirai. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that Kaz is the man. So, PS3 has a great year. Sales have grown to over 14 million worldwide, and 5.8 million through the end of July -- that's in the PAL territories. Friday of this week, 80 gig PS3 available!!!!! 399 Euros.

8:14 a.m. -- The speaker shows that the relationship between SCE and SOE is being strengthened in order to benefit their expanding userbase. Now let's have a quick look at the games SOE has on the table. Trailer begins. Free Realms. Colorful, fantasy, you can play... soccer? Lots of fantastical places to check out, basic hack-n-slash combat. The speaker talks about how it's a very exciting time for the company, especially with such cool titles on their way.

8:11 a.m. -- PSP 3000 will launch on the 15th of October for 199 Euros with one-game bundles. Eight Bundles will be included. Harry Potter, Buzz Master Quiz, Go Messenger, FIFA 09 Slim and Lite will then be priced at 169 Euros. Keep in mind kids, that's Euros, not USD. It will be more expensive here, in a way.

8:09 a.m. -- In addition, the PSP 3000 has a built-in microphone. Along with Skype and Go Messenger, this will make it a "reliable communication device."

8:09 a.m. -- It brings you all the functionality of the old PSP, looks the same, actually... hmm. Hm, the LCD screen is "enhanced" He's explaining what that means. The intensity of colors have been increased. Crisper colors in outside natural light, reducing glare. Screens for the win!

8:08 a.m. -- Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G is named as a big game recently, as well as Crisis Core. By the way, if you haven't played Crisis Core yet, do so. PSP 3000!!!!!!! On man, here it is!!!!

8:07 a.m. -- PSP is discussed. And it's importance to the PAL territories. PSP and its software library have been a huge success here. 41 million worldwide install base. Wicked!.

8:06 a.m. -- They'll be showcasing LittleBigPLanet, Killzone 2, MotorStorm Pacific Rift, and Resistance 2. We've seen them before, but we're going to be seeing some "firsts" today, like firsts in technology, products and games -- even global initiatives. Your mom's a global initiative, by the way. Yeah I said it.

8:05 a.m. -- According to the speaker, we journalists are going to be prophesizing with our pens. I didn't realize I was that awesome. Clayman looks happy to sit down. And now, for some reason, a few Helghast soldiers are taking the stage. They have glowing eyes. Intense! Speaker is commenting on recent shows and what they've been up to across the world. They're going to be showing us what sort of inovation is on the table.

8:03 a.m. -- And now a gentleman takes the stage and kindly begins delivering German poetry in both German and English. I mean it, he's really reciting poetry now. Sony knows how to start a show. Bob Dylan quote given, now that's poetry.

8:02 a.m. -- By the way, LittleBigPlanet has had a crazy showing here, with tons of billboards and a giant inflatable SackBoy -- I kid you not. More games now, including some Buzz, LocoRoco, Infamous, Fat Princess, woo!!!! And The Last Guy. Another Woo! Now there's some bug creatures running around. Music is intense. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm very excited.

8:00 a.m. -- Ah, and at last, it begins, and we finally got seats. IGN for the win. A massive screen dominates a stage on the show floor, and the crowd heaves in anticipation.

7:59 a.m. -- The hall is filled with happy videogame nerds, the scent of high-quality beer and booth babes that aren't regulated by any of the ridiculous "laws" that bind the awesomoness of US booth babes. Clearly this is the place to be. Unfortunately, this press conference is already crazy crowded... and we were kicked out multiple times.

7:58 a.m. -- Hey everyone, Ryan Clements here, the coolest member of the PlayStation Team. Dave Clayman and I are here in Leipzig for the German Games Convention, and Sony's press conference is about to start.